Renfrewshire Council

Emergency repairs

An emergency repair is when the problem:

• is a serious threat to health and safety
• needs to be repaired quickly to prevent further damage to your home or a nearby property.

If you need an emergency repair, phone us on 0300 300 0300.

You can also use the freephone Repairs Direct telephone in the Johnstone neighbourhood office or the Paisley Customer Service Centre.

We will attend an emergency repair outside of normal working hours when:

• it is not safe to wait until the next working day
• there is a serious risk to the structure of the property
• the property is not secure.

If it's not an out-of-hours emergency, and does not need to be fixed immediately, we will arrange an appointment for the repair on the next working day.

If we cannot do a full repair, we'll carry out a temporary repair to make it safe, and then return to complete the repair.

Some emergency repairs will be done within one day if they qualify for the Right to Repair Scheme.

Urgent repairs

Urgent repairs are not emergencies, but repairs which need to be carried out quickly to prevent further damage to your home.

Urgent repairs can include:

• minor leaks and overflows
• damaged flooring and tiles
• faulty showers.

To report an urgent housing repair:

• report it online
• phone 0300 300 0300
• email repairs@renfrewshire.gov.uk

We aim to fix urgent repairs within 5 working days of you reporting it to us.

However, some urgent repairs will be done sooner if they qualify for the Right to Repair Scheme.

Lighting fault on stairs or close

You can

• report a stair or close lighting fault online
• phone 0300 300 0300
• email repairs@renfrewshire.gov.uk 

When you report a fault, please identify the floor number and position of the fault. This will help us carry out the repair quickly.

Routine repairs

Routine repairs are everyday repairs due to normal wear and tear to your property.

Examples include blocked rainwater pipes or gutters, radiators not working properly, faulty electrical switches or light pendants.

You can report a routine repair online.

We aim to do these routine repairs within 15 working days of you reporting it to us.

However, exact timings for routine or non-urgent repairs will depend on what the problem is.

Some routine repairs will be done sooner if they qualify for the Right to Repair Scheme.

Report a repair

When reporting a repair, make sure that you:

• arrange the appointment for a time you will be at home
• give a contact number in case we need to reschedule the appointment
• let us know about any reasons or issues that may affect our ability to gain access to the property, so that we can act accordingly.

If you email us, make sure to tell us:

• your name
• your address
• your phone number
• what problem needs repairing
• what days and times you will be at home so someone can do the repair.

Appointments are available Monday to Thursday from:

• 8am to 1pm
• 10am to 3pm
• 2.30pm to 4.30pm.

Appointments are also available on Fridays from 8am to 1pm.

Your repair appointment

We'll arrange an appointment for a tradesperson to come and fix the problem.

If we need to inspect the repair first, we'll arrange a visit from a Repairs and Maintenance Officer. 

If we cannot finish the repair in a single visit, we'll fix the problem so it's safe and return and finish the repair later. 

Once you have an appointment arranged, we need you to:

• make sure there is a responsible adult present to allow our tradesperson access to the repair
• clear the area around the repair before our tradesperson arrives to carry out the work - this can include uplifting carpets or laminate flooring, clearing work surfaces, emptying cupboards, taking down curtains or moving furniture away from the area
• keep pets and young children away from the area of the repair work whilst work is in progress.

If you can't be there for the appointment, let us know as soon as possible and we will arrange an alternative time to suit you.

Contact us if you need to change your appointment by:

• phoning us on 0300 300 0300
• email at repairs@renfrewshire.gov.uk [subject line: Change appointment for a repair].

If you do not let us know, and we come to your house to carry out the repair and cannot access your home, the repair request will be cancelled. You will then need to call and arrange a new appointment.